In an SOI-based opto-electronic platform, relatively thin (e.g., <1 μm) silicon waveguides are used to distribute light across the entire chip and provide multiple optical functions (for example, splitting/combining, modulation, switching, wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing, add/drop, equalization, and dispersion compensation). The ability for light coupling and manipulation in a thin waveguide on an SOI platform enables a true integration of optics and microelectronics on a single silicon chip. One of the reasons for the high cost, high power consumption and large form factors of the optical components/subsystems in the optical communication industry is the lack of available component integration. Today's opto-electronic industry relies upon discrete building blocks and hybrid integration of various components. Similar to the IC industry in the 1960s, these discrete components are open loop, where the loop is then closed externally (using, for example, external optics and electronics), resulting in lower yields and higher costs. Using on-chip feedback control techniques, analog ICs meet very high precision specifications at very low cost, in spite of significant operating condition variations.
Conversion of photons to electrons is essential for the successful integration of microphotonics with microelectronics. InGaAs-based PIN photodetectors are commonly used for telecommunication applications, due to their high responsivity and speed. The majority of the InGaAs-based detectors are normal incidence detectors, and integration of such devices on silicon surfaces is expensive. Additionally, integration of high-speed InGaAs detectors requires special optics to focus light into a small active area, which has been found to effect device performance.
Germanium-based area detectors are well known in the art. Germanium detectors exhibit a higher dark current than InGaAs-based detectors, which limit their application in the telecommunications industry. In recent years, attempts have been made to improve the performance of polycrystalline germanium-based detectors for these applications. One exemplary prior art poly-germanium detector is discussed in an article entitled “Efficient high-speed near-infrared Ge photodetectors integrated on Si substrates”, by L. Colace et al., appearing in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 76, p. 1231 et seq., 2000.
In view of all of the above, a need still remains for a low cost, efficient optical to electrical conversion mechanism for simplifying the integration of optical and electronic functions on a single silicon-based chip.